SSV Ulm under pressure before the season finale: Now only a win counts

SSV Ulm enters the last matchday of the 3rd League as 18th in the table under maximum pressure. Ahead of the home game against fourth-placed Rot-Weiss Essen, the situation points to a tough task – both athletically and mentally.

For SSV Ulm 1846 Football, a decisive home game awaits at the end of the season in the 3rd League. On Saturday, May 16, at 1:30 p.m., Ulm will host Rot-Weiss Essen and, after 37 matchdays, enters the match in 18th place with 33 points.

The situation before the last matchday

The table puts Ulm under pressure before the season finale. After 37 games, they have 9 wins, 6 draws, and 22 losses. In addition, there is a goal difference of 47:75, with a goal differential of minus 28. Thus, the team is in 18th place before the last matchday.

These figures outline the challenge: Ulm does score more than one goal per game on average, but concedes far too many goals. This makes the games vulnerable to scenarios where falling behind quickly counts double – not only are points missing, but the goal difference is already clearly negative.

That Ulm is capable of clear results on good days is shown by their biggest home win (5:1 against 1. FC Schweinfurt 05) and their biggest away win (3:0 at FC Erzgebirge Aue). At the same time, the season is symbolized by how quickly matches can turn: Ulm's highest-scoring game ended in a 3:5 against VfL Osnabrück.

Ulm needs a reaction after a weak run

The recent trend also increases the pressure. Ulm has collected only four points from the last five league games. The record in this period: one win, one draw, three losses.

Most recently, the team drew 1:1 away at VfL Osnabrück on 09.05.2026. Before that, there was a 0:2 at home against Viktoria Köln and a 2:3 at 1860 Munich. The only win in the last five games came in a 2:1 against TSV Havelse. The 1:5 defeat at Hansa Rostock was particularly clear.

The series highlights the fluctuations at the end of the season: Ulm has managed to pick up points again, but overall has been too rarely stable over 90 minutes. In the season finale, this will be decisive – because a single game can no longer be corrected and every mistake has immediate consequences.

Rot-Weiss Essen, a top team, is coming

The task is made even harder by the opponent. Rot-Weiss Essen travels to Ulm as fourth in the table and has 67 points after 37 games. Essen is thus among the league's top group and enters the match with a much better starting position.

For Ulm, the home game is therefore not only the end point of a difficult season, but also a test against a team that has picked up points more reliably over weeks. The roles before kick-off are clearly distributed: Ulm starts as the underdog, Essen brings the better table position and the momentum of the whole season.

Precisely for this reason, Ulm's task is clear: The team needs a win in the last home game to even have a realistic perspective for the season finale.